Brake Line Corrosion

Newer stuff than 1994 is failing due to corrosion, it's not limited to Ford vehicles. I've replaced brake pipes on vehicles as new as 1999 with about the same mileage as yours.

I think you did pretty good, my bought new and rust proofed 1985 F-150 suffered rotted brake lines when it was a little over 5 years old.

So, replace them! No big deal....less than $40 for both front lines. What do you expect from writing to Ford concerning your 12+yr old vehicle?

Dave S(Texas)

Yup, replaced them when I replaced the rotors. It's a good idea anyway just to get new rubber. When they fail, and collapse internally, your brakes will stick and run very hot.

One more thing.........while you're at it, I recommend you flush out that fluid. It's got water in it which destroys brake parts. Two big cans of Synthetic DOT 3. I used Prestone brand.

Brake fluid is Hydroscopic and absorbs water directly out of the air. So start with checking the brake fluid resevior and making sure the cap is sealing tightly on the resevior and not allowing air access to it.

Then condensation inside the brake lines can occur and put moisture in the brake system.

And finally, the flexible brake lines on most cars are of a rubber material. The rubber when under water can absorb water into the fluid.

So all of those are ways to get moisture into the brake system causing them to corrode from the inside out.

If this truck was not yours originally, I'd consider that maybe the chassis was under water for a short period of time. Or if you cross water with it or it was parked in deep snow, that could lead to the external corrosion.

I've seen several Ford trucks with rusted brake lines, but never in the front. I think the problem is very common, but your location is unusual.

First off the rubber hoses were in pretty good shape for 78000 miles and 12 years. The interior of the blocks and the lines were in very good shape and showed no discoloration which is indicative of water in the fluid. The fittings and the metal tubing where it enters the fitting corroded, it rusted. If it was stainless steel it was off-spec because I have never seen stainless steel rust like iron. The metal line right at the fitting had holes with is typical of galvanic corrosion resulting in pitting. The pitting caused the failure. The rear lines look OK for a 12 years old vehicle not driven much in snow and the road salts.

Metal brakelines are not supposed to rust out. They are supposed to be formed from stainless steel or marine brass and should last as long as the engine. The rubber connector hose is a different story and oddly enough they looked fine.

I have never had a car that came from the factory with stainless steel brake lines and certainly never seen one with marine brass brake lines (and making brake lines from brass would not be a good idea - too great a chance of metal fatigue). Maybe some high end cars may have stainless brake lines, but stainless is hard to work with when you have to make bends and is subject to stress cracking. All of the brake lines I have actually touched are double wall low carbon steel with a zinc coating to prevent corrosion (other anti-corrosion coatings include zinc - aluminum, or copper). This sort of steel tubing is sometimes referred to as "Bundyweld" or "Bundy double wall" tubing (see

I think your name should be OVERLY OPTIMISTIC considering your insane idea that Ford may want to pay for repairs to a 12 year old truck. Hopeful just doesn't do it.

PS I have never seen stainless or marine brass used in auto brake lines.

SS/brass?? On what planet? U have a Ford pick-up, not a Space Shuttle.

Dave S(Texas)

On Fri, 03 Nov 2006 14:11:09 +0000, hopeful rearranged some electrons to form:

Most vehicles use plated steel for brake lines, not stainless. And, it can most certainly corrode.

Yeah, that came straight from dreamland. It would be nice if they'd use stainless, wouldn't it? It does crack sometimes if it's exposed to chlorides (which it would be), but I'd be willing to take a chance on it.

Stainless costs too much for penny pinching detriot and they do not want it to last to long anyway and brass is too soft for this. A simlpe trick that I have used that works well is to spray the brake lines with gear oil in a old paint spray gun every fall and spring. I do not have "normal" failure of any metal brake lines. My 89 burbs lines still look almost like new. Another thing, rust is a galvanitc reaction of sorts with atmosphere and metal and when you rust proof the car, anything that is not rust proofed tends to be atacked worse because a difference of charge or potenail develops between car and air aggravatted by salt and rust proofing focuses the "discharge" of the potentail and the rust process that results to unprotected areas. Back in the 50 they used to put anode lead bars on some cars to control this process scientifically and that would sacrifice themselves while saving vehicle. You will not see that today because all that lead would not be environmental freindly. Also, brake fluid is glycol based and atracts moisutre so it can be attacked from both sides of pipe wall sometimes.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

On Tue, 07 Nov 2006 15:24:44 +0000, SnoMan rearranged some electrons to form:

Spraying the outside with gear oil does nothing for the moisture that is INSIDE, trapped in the brake fluid which was absorbed from the atmosphere.

And, you need to bone up on your corrosion theory, what you said is completely incorrect. Galvanic reations can't occur unless there is an electrolyte to conduct current... air isn't an electrolyte.

Think--- salt water.

Lead is not a good anode to steel, but zinc is... what do you think "galvanized" steel is? It ain't coated with lead... In fact lead and steel are very close to each other in the galvanic series, so there would be no reaction nor protection.

Actually I suspect you could make brake lines out of stainless steel tubing for about the same as for the bundyweld tubing. Stainless has a bad habit of developing stress/corrosion cracks which is a very bad thing in a brake line.

Lead would not work for this application. If any sort of "bars" were attached they would have been zinc. Lead bars would have increased the rate of corrosion. (see

And this is why bundyweld tubing is used.

Regards,

Ed White